Breath Of Life
by dazae15
Summary: Fury is met with a new group trying to enslave Earth that is calling themselves, The Ogdoad. Egyptian word for a group of deities. He calls upon the Avengers to help once again, but that's not all the help he's getting. A young mutant has agreed to help, but will this new addiction to the team help or be the Avengers downfall?
1. Recruit

**AN:** This is my first CapX story so please bare with me. I've never written the Avengers so hopefully I get better at it.

**Ps:** This story is dedicated to FBDarkAngel for introducing this pairing to me

**Pairing:** Laura Kinney/Steve Rogers

**Rating: **T/M for violence and maybe more later on.

**Notes:** Movie Universe. Takes place a year after Avengers. Laura's history has been altered slightly and she's never meet Captain America but does know S.H.E.I.L.D. had been looking for her. Plus original villain group.

**Plot:** Nick Fury is met with a new group trying to enslave Earth that is calling themselves, The Ogdoad. The Egyptian word for a group of deities. He calls upon the Avengers to help once again, when this group starts to kill people in unusual ways, which start to show they may be more then human but that's not all the help he's getting. A young mutant has agreed to help, but will this new addiction to the team help or be the Avengers downfall?

* * *

Sitting behind his desk, Nick Fury actually let out a chuckle at the report that was laid out in front of him. He couldn't believe what he was reading. After five years, living on the run, keeping off the radar, a bar fight was what brought this one down. Maybe they weren't as good as previously thought. "And we're sure this is the right person?"

Agent Maria Hill nodded to her superior officer out of respect before speaking. "Yes sir, there are pictures of the damage and victims in the folder as well," She had seen the aftermath with her own eyes and she couldn't believe how much blood there'd been. The individual had been very precise about their attacks. Knew exactly where to cut to cause the most pain and panic, but keep their victims alive and conscious. "The local authorities arrived around 2300 hours to find the assailant sitting at the bar with a half bottle of alcohol, having a drink. The mutant didn't fight when brought in for questioning, but my source says they haven't said a word or asked for council,"

"That's unusual," Fury stated flipping through the photos. The work that was projected in the photographs matched his records but there were slight changes. One; everyone injured was male and two; they were all alive. From past knowledge, no one would be spared. There had to be something they were missing. "I think this would be the perfect time to have a chat," He placed the pictures back into the folder, closing it before looking back at Agent Hill. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Nodding, Hill gave the proper salute before exiting Fury's office to make the arrangements. Why he wanted to speak to a murder in a time like this was a mystery, but she'd learned a year ago with the Avengers he did everything for a reason. Heading to her nice pristine, nothing out of place, office she grabbed the receiver to her phone first before even sitting down. Dialing her contacts number, she waited for him to pick up. To be able to apprehend the prisoner S.H.E.I.L.D. was going to need inside information.

Several hours later, S.H.E.I.L.D. had the mutant in custody, handcuffed, shackled feet, and black bagged so they were unable to see where they were being taken. When the black van pulled up, Agent Hill and Fury stood outside the building waiting for their guest. Fury made his way inside as Hill went up to the van, making the transfer, before leading the mutant into the building and placing them in the empty chair. She then stood off to the side behind the mutant, waiting for further instructions.

The room was darkened with the only light coming from the lamp sitting on a table that had two chairs placed at it. One holding the suspect in question, the other holding Fury. The man looked at the young mutant with his one eye curiously. It amazed him how well of an operative the individual was considering their age. "Agent Hill, please remove the hood," Hill did as she was asked, revealing a young woman looking no more then twenty years old, with flowing raven black hair, and gorgeous emerald eyes. "Good evening Ms. Kinney,"

Laura looked around the room taking in everything around her. Even though the room was almost pitch black, she could see as if it was bright as day. They had tried so hard to conceal their location and keep her in the dark, but she'd been trained for this. She knew exactly where they were and now knew where all the exits were if need be. Only thing she didn't know was who had her, but given the man in front of her, she had a pretty good guess. She remained silent.

Fury took a note of her silence before looking at the inch to two inch folder in front of him. He flipped it open and began to skim through the contents. "You've a very talented young woman," Fury stated seeing if he was going to get any reaction from the girl, which there was none. "A record here that might even out shine Logan,"

"What do you want?" Laura was in no mood to sit and discuss her whole history. From the look of the file the man was flipping through, he knew enough about her already. Probably too much from her liking.

"Oh, I want a lot of things, but I only want a few from you," Laura was not looking forward to where this was going. "First I want you to tell me, what happened at the bar,"

Seriously? All this effort to get her alone and to potentially scare her into giving them what they wanted, when she would have willingly given them the information at the police station if they'd ask. Laura actually let out a light chuckle and a small closed mouth grin. "A group of guys came into the bar, they offered me a job with people I'd never head of, and when I declined they attacked me," She leaned back in the chair as her smile faded away. "I didn't start amputating limbs till they upgraded they're own weaponry,"

This caused Fury and Hill to exchange a puzzling look before looking back at Laura. "What sort of weaponry?"

"I'm not sure," Truth be told, she hadn't seen what had hit her, only felt the after effects. "if I didn't have a healing factor, I wouldn't be here right now though," She hadn't felt the blast, she'd only felt the rebuilding of her burnt tissue and bone. There had been a six inch hole, straight throw her just barley missing her heart that had actually knocked her out for a couple minutes.

Hill jumped in now. "Why didn't you kill them? If they attacked you-"

"I have enough of a body count in my wake, I don't add to it unless needed," Laura had been trying for almost a year now, not to take human life. She wasn't apart of the X-men or X-force anymore and she trying her hardest to understand what a normal twenty year old girl did.

"Well, from what you described, I believe you were propositioned by the same people we're trying to stop," Fury stated closing Laura''s folder. "What would you say, if I told you I'd like to discuss the Avenger Initiative with you?"

* * *

"I hear we're got new baddies in town," Tony Stark stated walking into the briefing room holding a Starbucks coffee in one hand and removing his red shades with the other as he placed them in his jacket. Steve Rogers rolled his eyes at the billionaire as he continued to read the briefing folder in front of him. "You got one of those for me, boy scout?" He asked Rogers as he took a seat across from him.

Steve looked up with a stern look about to say something when Natasha entered the room with multiple briefing folders and handed one to Tony who instantly dropped it on the table. "There you go," She smirked at the man knowing how much he hated being handed things before taking a seat herself next to Steve. "Anyone seen Banner or Clint?" They all knew Thor was in Asgard at the moment.

"Clint is on another assignment at the moment and Banner should be arriving shortly," Fury announced as he walked into the room followed by Agent Hill. "I trust you've all read the briefing or at least have the material in front of you," He looked to Tony who slowly pulled the folder to him, flipping it open to the first page as he took a sip of his latte. "There is a new threat on earth who are calling themselves, The Ogdoad,"

"Ogdoad? What is that?" Steve asked, getting a chuckle from Tony in the process causing everyone to look at the playboy.

"They were a group of gods and goddess from ancient egypt " Tony responded, having been tortured in watching the discovery channel with Pepper one night a few weeks ago.

"You're right, Stark," Fury agreed pulling out a remote and pushing the button to reveal digital holograms of the leaders they had record of. "I've had someone on the inside for almost two months and in that time they've sent us these, along with blue prints of weapons the group is currently developing,"

There where four individuals. Four men and a woman. The men where dressed in a type of modernized ancient golden armor with a black contrast and hoods concealing their identities. The woman was in a similar outfit with a dark red armor and gold contrast with a hood as well. Each had their own symbol on their backs and on the outside of their hand. A ankh, egyptian symbol for life, was on the woman. One of the men had a black jackal. Another had the Eye Of Ra and the last had the Eye of Horus.

"Who's the informant?" The russian asked secretly wondering if it was Clint. It wasn't unusual for her to work missions without him, but it was unusual for him not to say anything to her before he left.

"Someone that wishes to remain anonymous," Laura had only agreed to work with S.H.E.I.L.D if her involvement was remained secret from Logan and the people she was running from. A deal he had gladly made for her services. Bruce Banner walked into the room silently taking a seat while Fury continued to fill them in on what they'd be doing. "Our contact was only able to get inside due to the fact, the leaders are recruiting. Mainly mutants, but some are humans,"

"Willing or mind control?" Steve asked, wondering if this was another thing like what happened with Loki. That was all they needed.

Bruce jumped in now. "It actually starts out willingly, but then the group starts using drugs to keep everyone in control," He'd been doing tests on the samples Fury had received for several hours now. "I'm working on breaking down the compound right now,"

"Anything special about the compound?" Tony flipped through the pages to see if there was anything else on the drug.

He didn't know if it was special, but Bruce did find out there was something interesting about the drug. "The only thing I've found so far that's unusual, as it tends to have a very addictive property. More then any drug on file. The higher the dosage, the more dangerous to the system," Bruce shared with the rest. "I'm still running tests though,"

"I'm confused, why is this an Avengers matter?" Tony asked not having been told anything special about this new group that would make them an immediate threat. "All you've shown us so far is basically a cult, and if we're gonna start going after cults we're gonna be very busy,"

Fury ended up giving Tony his unimpressed face before reaching into his mater folder and throwing down around a dozen to two dozen pictures Laura had taken of the mutants or humans that didn't join. "Because the cults you're use to don't usually do this,"

Everyone around the table leaned forward to look at the photos and all of them cringed at what was in front of them. Some of the pictures had six inch burnt holes all the way through them with the embers still glowing inside them. While another group, had decaying, gruesome looking corpses that would make anyone sick. From the look of the bodies, the smell would have actually made them hurl if they were there.

Tony leaned back and took a deep breath before looking to Fury and in his own way telling him, he was onboard. "So, where we going sweetheart?"


	2. Rescue

Laura was restrained in a metal chair with built in cuffs that tightened every time she struggled. The room was only lit by the windows a few stories above her, and the only thing in the room besides her torturer and a cart full of tools, drugs, and miscellaneous supplies was a scattered collection of rotting, mutilated corpses, that looked like some form of plaque hit them. With Laura's heighten senses, the smell was enough of a torture to her.

The man with the jackal on his hand, the one calling himself Anubis smiled as he watched her wounds heal for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Your gift is truly remarkable," Laura looked up at the man with pain and anger in her eyes as he spoke to her. He was so matter of fact in the way he talked to her. So calm and collected. At this point she just wanted to rip his throat out and watch him bleed to death. "You would be considered a goddess in our time, do you know that?"

He placed his right hand with the symbol upon it on her chest causing black veins to travel from his fingertips through her. A scream of pure agony escaped Laura when she couldn't stand the pain anymore. It was nothing like she ever felt before. It was the worst feeling she ever felt multiplied by a million and that even felt like she was pulling up short. He pulled his hand back allowing her to heal again. "Anyone else would be dead by now,"

"Lucky me," The words came out weak, almost calmly as the man's did. She didn't have enough energy to give any of the hatred she was feeling toward him like she was doing in the beginning of their "sessions". Her breathing was heavy and she could feel her healing factor slowing down. She hadn't been through this kind of torture since she was a little girl. If this guy kept it up, he was going to kill her within the week.

Just as Anubis was about to send another wave through the girl, another man entered the room stopping him. "That's enough Anubis!" As the new man moved to the individuals, Laura knew not to get excited. Dressed in similar attire to Anubis, with gold and black armor, he was another one of the leaders. A man they called Horus. "Amon would like us to try a different tactic with this one,"

Anubis actually pouted at the man. "Ah, I was having so much fun too," He looked back at Laura. "She lasts so much longer then the others," All his other victims had died within minutes, hours if he held back. This one could take it all and still be ready for more.

"That's why, he wants me to try my hand at it," Anubis was good at breaking the body down to get what he wanted or needed before killing them. Horus was good at doing the same but with the mind. Any secrets or past memories anyone was hiding he could get to. It was just a matter of time.

With a sigh, Anubis stood from his chair, taking one last look at the raven haired beauty before turning to Horus. "Have fun. The telepaths say she has defenses like no other,"

Horus nodded, agreeing, having heard the same claims. "I'm going to try the drug on her before using the other," He explained seeing Anubis eyes light up in excitement. His brother always did find pleasure in the torment of others.

"You're going to have to use a high dose on her," Anubis told him. "Her ability allows her to heal almost instantly," He explained having seen this over his time with the girl.

"Thank you brother, I have this handled." He stated grabbing a syringe and a vial of the drug they had manufactured themselves. "You should speak with Amon, he may let you deal with the other," Horus grinned at Anubis. "That one has some secrets in him, that you might find entertaining"

The jackal man almost seemed giddy at this news. He hadn't had a chance to play with the other one yet. Maybe he would last just as long as the girl. A full smile was plastered on his face as he walked out of the room to speak with his father.

Watching him leave, Horus almost smiled before turning back to his work. He didn't enjoy his work as much as Anubis did. In fact, some times he hated it when feeling the subject's emotions associated with their memories, which was why he liked to use the drugs first. He didn't have to get into their heads. Turning to the girl, he gave a small almost sympathetic smile to her. "I am sorry for this, but it's the only way," Feeling the syringe, he injected it into her arm allowing it to enter her blood stream.

Laura was surprised when she started to feel groggy and the room started to spin. She wasn't use to feeling the effects of drugs. She felt a warmness traveling throughout her veins she wasn't use to. It was nice, peaceful, which was weird for her. "What…did you…do?" Blinking, Laura tried to focus on the man, but there were more then one of him rotating in a circle before everything went black.

Once she was unconscious, Horus placed his palm upon her cheek pushing feeling her skin and lifting up her head. "Don't worry, I'll make it as painless as possible," He removed his hand and grabbed another vial to overload her system. It would speed up the addictive properties and make her move corporative to his questioning.

* * *

2 weeks later...

"You wanted to see me sir," Steve asked entering Fury's office. He had been going restless not being able to help with anything. Stark and Banner had been going over the blue prints devising a way to get in to the cult's base, while trying to make an antidote for the drug. Natasha had been doing her own thing, whatever that entailed and he'd been in the training room pounding away on the equipment.

Fury had been on the phone when Steve entered and held up his finger gesturing to give him a minute. "Yes sir…no, I have it under control….i know the situation….I'll be sending in a team to retrieve them shortly…yes I'll keep the committee informed," The line went dead and Fury hung up the phone shaking his head. "I hate councils. They expect results, but limit what you can do,"

Steve didn't know what he was doing here and didn't know how to respond to the director. "Is there something you wanted from me sir?" He asked continuing to have that official solider way about him.

"Yes. My informant hasn't checked in with me for almost three weeks now and that's not like them," Laura may have an attitude and way of doing things, but she still followed protocol. Her not checking in meant something had happened. "Also, Barton was on a related assignment and hasn't checked in either,"

"You think your informant went native?" He asked knowing the cult's ways of manipulation. If the group was administrating the drug, they could flip anyone. "Turned on Barton?"

Standing, Fury looked at Steve with a look of sure knowing the solider wasn't use to seeing. "No. I think they've been taken," He walked around his desk. "And I'm sending Agent Romanoff, Stark, and you in after them,"

He understood Natasha, but to send Stark on a rescue mission seemed like the wrong move to him. "Are you sure sending Stark in is the best idea? He's more shoot first, ask questions later,"

The one eyed man, smiled know the captain's concern. "If anything goes wrong, I want you to have some means of getting out of there alive," Steve nodded at the man. "And if that entails blasting your way out, I want you to have that option, but you are in charge"

"Who are we extracting besides Barton?" Steve took note of how guarded Fury was being about the informant and thought this was as good a time as any to find out who it was. Besides, they couldn't rescue someone without knowing who it was.

He took out a picture handing it to Steve. "You get a photo," Before Steve could say anything else, Fury continued. "I promised them, their identity would be a secret due to safety reason, so a photo is all you get,"

Looking down at the photo, Steve was surprised to see a woman. Especially, one so beautiful. Her eyes were a mesmerizing green and her long dark hair shaped her facial features perfectly. Only thing that was missing from the picture was a smile, but Steve had no problem imagining one on her. "Who is she?"

"She's my informant," Fury said avoiding what the man actually meant. "Get Romanoff and Stark and retrieve Barton and her. You have forty-eight hours starting now"

Steve nodded to the man before leaving his office to find his team. Natasha was not going to be happy about this, but Stark was probably going to be more then thrilled.

* * *

Horus looked at the woman in front of him letting out a sigh. "You do have an exceptionally strong mind," He released Laura from the chair watching her fall trying to lift herself up from the floor, but she just fell right back down. She was shaky, sweaty, her pupils were almost pure black barely being able to see the green, and her heart was beating faster then normal. Her healing factor was trying to counter act the effects, but it couldn't keep up. "Two weeks and all I've been able to get from you is what happened to you when you were younger and how your mother died," He shook his head. "You're the first to resist this long even after becoming addicted,"

"P…please…" She tried to lift herself up again, but only made it an inch before hitting the floor again. "He..help" Laura could feel her skin crawling and just wanted the pain inside to stop. "Ma..make it..st…stop"

"I will," Horus said honestly, crouching besides the young woman. "Once you tell me the information I requested, I will give you what you want," He held up a vial of the drug with a syringe feeling it, allowing her to see. Laura actually reached up to try to grab the syringe but the man stood up watching the weakened mutant.

"I…I…d..don't know…any..thing…" She grunted in pain, clutching at her stomach as the withdrawal pain began to worsen, bringing her limps closer to her in a way to protect herself. "You…came to me…" Even after everything they had put Laura through she still fought against giving them what they were after. She knew no matter what they offered, once Laura gave them anything, she was done for. They would dispose of her. She'd been trained to do the same in the situation.

He sighed again placing the syringe on the cart, before grabbing a pair of keys that were resting there. "When we started this I told you I would make this as painless as possible, but that of course depends on you," Horus turned looking down at her. "You're in the beginning stages of withdrawal and it will only get worse from here"

Laura tried to move again, trying to fight through the pain she was in, but it was too much. "Please," She looked up at him, her eyes beginning to water. "I can't tell you something I don't know,"

"That's the problem," He knelt beside her again, speaking softer. "I believe you do know and from what I've gathered about your past, you've had the proper training to deceive even yourself," With that, he snapped his fingers and two of the recruited mutants came into the room grabbing her by her arms. Laura tried to fight back but every moment she made just sent a piercing pain through her she couldn't get under control. "Put her in the cage"

* * *

An hour later...

"How's it looking down there?" Steve asked Natasha who was surveying the area. She has been upset that Fury hadn't told her the truth, but knew this wasn't the time to launch a complaint.

"There's got to be around sixty to seventy people down there, maybe more," The red head noted committing their guard pattern to memory. "I see three possible buildings they could be holding them, two small buildings on the left and a warehouse looking building on the right," Natasha got up from her sitting position to face Steve. "I think we need a distraction,"

Before Steve could respond, Stark interjected while eating a cheeseburger he just had to have before coming on the mission. "Hey Rogers, do you know who this kid is we're after? From the look of her picture she looks like she just became legal," Natasha and Steve both looked at him giving him the same look causing Stark to become suspicious. "What?" He asked with half a burger in his mouth.

Steve couldn't help, but get a small sense of enjoyment out of what he was about to say. "You're going to be the distraction," The idea of Stark being bait was almost too enjoyable. "While the guards are trying to stop you, Natasha will take the smaller buildings and I'll take the warehouse,"

Stark finished his burger looking back and fourth at the two members. "You both realize according to what Nat just said, I'll be going against more then seventy people," When the two didn't react her added, "Around ninety percent of them are probably mutants,"

"That a problem?" Steve asked knowing Stark's ego would get in the mix now. The man couldn't show a sign of weakness.

He shook his head. "No problem, just wanted to make clear what I was going against,"

"Good." Grabbing his shield, Steve took one last look down at the area they were about to enter. "Let's move out,"

* * *

Laura's skin felt like it was on fire and her mouth was dry. _Why did anyone do drugs if it made them feel this way? _She randomly thought, but that didn't stop the hunger for it. She started to go in and out of consciousness, locked in the cage. Out of everything they could had put Laura in, a cage was the worst. She hated cages. Hated feeling like an animal. "Laura, what are you doing? Letting these people win," She heard a woman's voice and looked up, using her hand to brace herself against the cage, to see who it was.

"Mom?" She asked seeing a tall woman with the same color hair and green eyes smile at her in a white lab coat. Sniffing the air, she could even smell her mom's scent even though she knew that was impossible. "I..I killed you.."

The woman knelt down in front of the cage, placing her hand on Laura's cheek causing Laura to close her eyes. "You're stronger then this Laura," Laura tilted her head into the the woman's touch feeling the comfort of it. "You know how to beat this," Laura opened her eyes and the woman was gone. Her hand formed into a fist and she felt the familiar pain as one claw unsheathed itself from under her skin. She brought the blade onto her other arm and began to cut from the middle of her arm downward, allowing the blood to drip down her hand.

As she continued to cut, allowing the blood to escape, she felt the withdrawal pain begin to subside as the "normal" pain took over. She knew how to deal with this pain. She could control this and that's what she needed. She needed to be in control. Laura made one more cut before she retracted her claw at hearing the door. Sniffing the air, she felt an overwhelming feeling of anger. _Anubis._

"You didn't break!" He announced his voice chipper. "I told my brother you wouldn't," Anubis knelt in front of the cage grinning at the girl. "Wow, you look terrible," A laugh left his lips as Laura just looked at him with hostility. He found the syringe Horus had left and knelt again before the mutant. "I bet you're really wanting one of these right now uh?" Seeing the liquid in the syringe, knowing how it would make her feel, she forgot about her mother. She forgot about everything, but the need for the drug. Laura tried to grab it from him, reaching through the cage, but he held it just out of reach grinning at her. "And to think, I thought you were god material,"

Standing, Anubis went to leave the girl when he heard some form of explosion outside. Running to the nearest window, he could see some form of iron suited man fighting and blasting things. "No!" Anubis yelled becoming infuriated. He went back to the cage and knelt in front of her. "He's the one you're working with, isn't he?" He asked receiving no response. Reaching his hand through the cage, he grabbed her arm allowing the black veins through her. "Answer me!" He ordered as the veins traveled up her neck onto her face.

Laura opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out as her skin started to pale more so then it already was. She was dying. She was actually going to die this time. "Let her go!" Laura heard someone yell as she felt the pain subside and the pressure from him holding her arm go away. The veins started to fade slowly. Looking out of the cage she saw a man in a red, white, and blue costume with a giant shield and gun standing at the entrance to the warehouse. The man had the gun pointed at Anubis.

Steve looked at the man with a look of conviction and determination. "Now, open the cage and let her go" When the man started to laugh Steve suddenly got flashes of the Red Skull in his head. This was not going to be good. "Or I'll shoot"

"Stupid humans and their toys," Anubis smiled shaking his head at the solider. "Do you know who I am?"

He didn't waver at the man's insults. To him, this was another bully that needed to be taught a lesson. "No, and I don't care," Steve said firing, but as the sound rang through the warehouse, Steve was in shock.

Anubis smiled at Steve with his jackal symboled hand outstretched in front of him. The symbol glowed and stopping the bullet mid shot. It started to "decay" in a bizarre manor. "I am the god of death! You can't hurt me!" Anubis laughed. Putting the gun away, Steve decided to try a little more hands on approach.

As they fought, Laura watched them form her cage till she saw the syringe a foot away from her on the ground. _Get it. You can reach it. _She reached her hand through the bars and began to reach for the syringe. It took a few minutes, but Laura managed to get a finger on it, allow it to roll toward her. A small grin was on her face as she took the the needle in her hand. Flipping it over so the needle was down she hit the plunger causing the drug to drain from the tool onto the warehouse floor. Once the syringe was empty, she began to use the needle too pick the cage lock.

Steve kept using his shield to block the man's punches, trying to figure out a way to attack him. He couldn't touch him or he was going to end up like the bullet, he'd figured that one out, but how did he fight him then? The man suddenly grabbed his shield, ripping it from Steve's hands tossing it aside as he grabbed him around the neck. "You stupid human," Anubis sent his plague through Steve who began to scream in agony. "Now I get to kill you"

"No...you don't.." Laura said between breaths as she stabbed her claws straight through Anubis, twisting them in till they peaked out through him. Anubis expression was one of peer shock and pain as the black veins on Steve began to disappear. Laura pulled out her claws and Anubis fell straight down. Steve stood rubbing his neck and looking at her not completely progressing what just happened and Laura just gave him a small grin, before she fell over herself completely exhausted.

Steve looked down at the girl. Clothes were torn and bloody, and she'd looked like she'd been through hell. Given the fact of what that guy could do and the belongings around him he could only imagine what happened. He grabbed his shield first, slinging it onto his back, before her scooped the girl into his arms and began to walk out of the warehouse. Stark probably had everyone under control right now and Natasha probably had Barton already. It was time to get everyone home in one piece.


End file.
